The Sin of Omission

Backsliding, even for the most zealous believer, is usually due to omission. We stop attending church. We stop reading our Bible. After a few days, we look up and realize we have missed a whole week.

Then the devil whispers, "Oh, I thought you were a real Christian." We start to question our faith: "How am I going to catch up? I've missed so many days—maybe I'm not such a strong believer. What's wrong with me?"

That is when we are faced with a choice point. Do we (a) give up altogether? That is exactly what the enemy wants. Or (b) do we turn to Jesus?

The interesting thing is that Jesus knew we would backslide. Instead of condemning us, He says, "Welcome home, My child." Much like the father of the prodigal son, who had spent his whole inheritance, He sees you at the end of the field. In those days it was not dignified for a man of nobility to run—but He runs to you anyway, and embraces you with more love than you have ever experienced.

Imagine you renounced Jesus a month earlier. You relapse on drugs, and you are sitting on a bench in front of your home, hopeless. High and paranoid, you are gripped by fear that the people who hurt you in the past are coming to kill you. Every passing car, every footstep makes you want to turn your head.

Then Jesus says, "Don't look left, don't look right. Just have faith. I am protecting you. Nobody is coming to get you." So you fix your eyes straight ahead, and you have faith—after all, what is left to lose?

The voice deep in your spirit is powerful. You sense it's probably not a good idea to disobey whoever is speaking, yet you feel deep conviction and love at the same time—a peace you have never felt before. The voice asks, "Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins?" You say, "Yes!" "Are you tired of living this way?" "Yes!"

After hours of conversation, you realize you have not said a single word out loud—and that you can finally rest. The voice says, "Throw out the substance," and you do. Then He says, "Go get some rest."

Months go by. Perhaps your LinkedIn account goes down and you could swear someone hacked your phone. You run to the store downstairs, then across the street, where the attendant is having the very same problem—and you sigh in relief. Then you ask, "Well, how are you still talking to me?" The voice says, "Pull out your cell phone." You reach into your pocket and realize you left it upstairs.

A few months later you start reading your Bible, and you come to the return of the Ark of the Covenant—the oxen that went straight along the road and "turned not aside to the right hand or to the left." That is when conviction hits: you have been communicating directly with the Holy Spirit.

It was the same voice that told you to wait a few seconds even though the light was green—just before a car ran the red light. The same voice that compelled you to give someone in need your last hundred dollars, with only a few days of food left and no savings. And then you landed a job that was not only the best you'd ever had, but one you never thought you were qualified for.

Jesus loves us beyond measure. It is completely impossible for the entire human consciousness to comprehend the fullness of His love and faithfulness to us. That is why it is so important to get to know who He is.

Christianity is not Catholicism, or a Baptist church, or Pentecostalism. It is a covenant with the One who gave everything He had for a relationship with us for eternity—and the Word is how we get to know His character. The Word is alive. Eat! It is our daily bread.

Small Omissions: What small things—church, prayer, time in the Word—have quietly slipped out of your days?

Your Choice Point: When the enemy says you're not a real Christian, will you give up, or run home to the Father who is already running toward you?

Recognizing His Voice: Looking back, where has the Holy Spirit already been guiding and protecting you without you realizing it?